. >> reporter: romney pointed to another round of weak economic numbers, warned an american legion audience of devastating job losses if moves for defense spending cuts goes through. >> impacts will be immediate and significant in virginia. 136,000 jobs will be lost in virginia as a result of this move. >> reporter: with less than 40 days to go, both men are speaking directly to voters. the president's team releasing this new ad that feels like a campaign closing argument. >> if i could sit down with you in your living room or around the kitchen table, here is what i'd say. >> reporter: voters are weighing in. 30 states in all are casting ballots. you can't overestimate the importance of early voting this go around. in 2008, it would nearly a third of all voters, savannah, that cast ballots before election day. this year, that number is expected to rise to as much as 40%. today, when michelle obama goes out to university of northern iowa, she will be giving a speech, not just a speech, she will be asking supporters there to cast their votes nearly on the spot. there's a polling place a few